Step 2. Next, attach the rounded hull front section to the front of the hull.

Tip: Although regular Hobby Glue can be used to assemble plastic vehicles, we recommend that you use good quality plastic cement instead. It gives the strongest bond when gluing plastic to plastic.

Step 3. Attach the rear exhaust plate to the lower hull, making sure it is aligned neatly with the bottom of the hull.

Step 4. Now attach the rear plate with tools in the space at the rear of the upper hull. Try to apply a thin line of glue evenly along the edge of the part, and it should slide neatly into place.

Step 5. Next, attach the tracks to the lower hull. The tracks are keyed to correspond with a particular side of the hull: two pegs on the left and three on the right. This ensures correct orientation of the tracks.

Below: The completed hull.

Tip: Some modellers find it easier to paint the tracks separately and attach them later. Whichever method you prefer is fine.

Assembling the Turrets

Identifying the parts

There are three different gun mantlets on the sprue, as well as three different gun breech assembly parts. Make sure you use the correct one for each gun - they are identified on the left.

Blue: M10 (3-inch)

Red: M10 Achilles (17 pdr)

Green: M36 'Jackson' (only used by the US)

Assembling the M10 (3-inch) Turret

Step 1. After selecting the right parts, attach the gun breech assembly to the turret bottom.

Step 2. Next, attach the turret top to the turret bottom.

Step 3. Glue the gun mantlet in place on the front of the turret.

Which counterweight?

Due to the size and weight of the M7 3in gun that armed the M10 (3-inch), a counterweight was needed at the rear of the turret.

Two wedge-shaped counterweights were attached to the turret to provide balance. Later production runs of the M10 had a better-designed 'duck-bill' counterweight (so named because in profile it looked a bit like an upside-down duck's bill) which better balanced the gun, as well as increasing space in the fighting compartment. The 'duck-bill' counterweight began to be introduced as early as June 1943, but both shapes of counterweight would still have been common throughout the war, so you can really feel free to use whichever design you prefer. It would even be conceivable for units to have a mix of different counterweights.

Step 4. Once you have chosen which counterweight you want to use, glue it in place at the rear of the turret.

Below: The 'duck-bill' counterweight in position.

Either shape of counterweight is valid for the British M10 (3-inch), as both turret variants were up-gunned with the 17 pdr.

Step 4. Glue the gun into the hole in the mantlet.

Note: For the standard British M10 (3-inch), make sure you use the M7 3in gun (highlighted in blue on the left).

Step 5. Glue the .50-cal AA MG into the mounting hole at the rear of the fighting compartment. There are two MG's on the sprue; the M10 uses the one without a post.

Step 6. Finally, glue the turret plug into the space under the turret. It plugs into the hole in the hull, allowing the turret to turn towards the target when your M10 shoots.

Assembling the M10 Achilles (17 pdr) Turret

Follow the instructions above for the M10 (3-inch turret) above but use the M10 Achilles (17 pdr) breach and mantlet, shown in the picture above, and the 17 pdr gun, shown in red (left).

Adding Rare Earth Magnets Alternatively, you may choose to glue rare earth magnets into the recess in the hull and to the bottom of the turret. Magnets are a quick and secure way of fixing your turrets to the hulls, as an alternative to the included plastic peg.